The Diving Bell and the Turtle Dove
by Landaluce
Summary: A proposed alliance leads to friendship between the turtle dove and the diving bell, the rekindling of an old romance, and the uncovering of an event long forgotten. Post Gaara retrieval arc. Some BakiXOC.
1. 1 Revelation

Hello everyone! Thank you for choosing to read my piece!

It is my second here on , as well as my second altogether. It's just a project right now; I don't really know where I'm going with it. The idea just caught my fancy a couple weeks ago. I hope you enjoy it, even though this first part is a little dull!

_The Diving Bell and the Turtle Dove_

_Chapter One - Revelation_

**The moon was scarcely more than a sliver of ethereal light in the velvet sky that night. There were thousands upon thousands of stars were glittering like precious jewels. Some were so distant that you weren't really sure if you were actually seeing them, while some were so close that you might be able to reach a hand up and pluck them from their stations. Nights such as this were not uncommon in the Sand Village, a place where seasons were indistinguishable and weather rarely changed. It could be counted on that no matter how blistering hot the day had been, how the sand had scorched your bare feet, and ravished whatever skin you had left bare, the coming of night in its cool shroud would bring reprieve.**

**Although for most, the coming of night meant slipping into your cool sheets and perhaps looking out your window, searching for a falling star to wish upon. It meant drifting off into the world of dreams, to a land of familiarity and calmness, of humor, of romance, perhaps even a world of memory. But for the Kazekage of the Sand Village, night did not mean any of those things. For Gaara, the dark of night brought time for quiet contemplation, freedom from the hustle and bustle of the office during the day, a time for silence, with nothing but starlight and the whispering zephyrs for company. Silence had been his only friend for so many years, and despite how things had changed, it was somehow pleasant to spend time in its company every so often.**

**That night though, Gaara was not focused on clearing his head or stargazing. His pale face, jaundiced by the yellow light of the desk lamp was marred by the slightest of frowns. To the outside observer, it would appear that the young Kazekage was simply deep in thought, and that the expression on his face was one of concentration. But if one were to observe more carefully, perhaps even peer into his mind, it would become apparent that although he indeed was deep in thought, the frown was not due to concentration, but worry, frustration, even.**

**With the position of Kazekage, came many responsibilities. The Sand Village was not in good shape when Gaara came to office. The people were impoverished, poor, dissatisfied and angry at how things were run. With the help of Kankuro and Temari, and the grudgingly offered expertise of the village's council, things had slowly changed. Once the alliance with the Leaf Village had been made, and the feudal lord Kuranosuke once again began offering missions to the Sand Village, things began to flourish once again. Funding was restored, and with the Leaf Village as an ally, much more trade had gone on. Substantially better as things had become, there were still every day challenges to deal with. There were none as grating, however, as the one that was picking at his mind then.**

**The Sand Village itself was, in general, well-protected. To the West, there was an endless expanse of impassable, vicious desert, bordered by a range of saw-toothed mountains. It would be complete idiocy to attempt a siege of the village from that direction. In the South, there was another expanse of desert, although it was much more hospitable than the western region. It was more of a scrubland, with cacti and other vegetation growing in most parts. This wasn't exactly an area of worry though, as the southern part of the Wind Country was dotted by smaller, allied villages. The Sand Village would know all about an impending attack almost before an enemy had thought it out. And the East was out of the question for anybody with a brain in their head. The Sand and Leaf Villages were closer than they had ever been, and Gaara was completely confidant in the Leaf Villages ability to cover them from that direction. But alas, there was the factor of the north.**

**The northern border of the Land of Wind was a sorely open spot. There was only a minute stretch of arid desert, a day's journey on foot to protect the Sand Village. After that, the sand's grip relinquished and gave way to a fertile valley of lush green forests and clear lakes. Further on, the expansive boreal forests of the Land of Earth took over, and thus, created a barrier-less passage directly into the Sand Village. Gaara had complete confidence in his arsenal of capable shinobi. But they had been caught by complete surprise once before, by the two wily Akatsuki members Sasori and Deidara. Gaara suppressed a shudder as he remembered the past events involving the two late vigilante ninja. Death was a cold, cold thing, and he would be happy if he never had to knock on its door, never mind enter its lair ever again.**

**Gaara had been stolidly trying to think of a fix for his worries for days, and was so far drawing blanks. The Land of Earth was a secluded country, shrouded in mystery and self-sufficient enough that they barely had to make their presence known to the other villages. He had long since deemed them out of the question, as they were unlikely to any treaty the Sand Village could offer. Treaties only worked when there were benefits to both parties, and in all honesty, there was nothing that the Sand Village could offer to the Land of Earth that they didn't already have. A new alliance with the Land of Rain was useless; there was nothing that would get through the country's totalitarian border control. Gaara hadn't even considered negotiations with the shinobi-less Land of Birds, as there was nothing the peaceful country could do to halt an attack. After considering what he thought was all the possibilities, Gaara was at a complete loss.**

**There was one small detail that had been bothering him since the previous night, however. As accustomed to not sleeping as Gaara was, since the extraction of Shukaku, he had taken to sleeping, such a foreign word, a few hours a night. For the past two nights, however, he had been unable to will his eyes to stay shut and had spent the calming hours of darkness in his office, poring over maps and history files. The reason for his newly reawakened insomnia was the discovery of the small country, if it even was a country, covering the majority of the Land of Wind's northwest border. He hadn't been able to find a name for it on any of the maps, and there was little, if any information on it other than the geography was dominated by windswept steppes and that the western part of it was shot through with lofty mountains. Gaara had searched through any documents he could find, searching for information. But it seemed hopeless; there was no recorded information about the place. **

**Gaara sighed then, his vertebrae cracking in protest as he straightened his posture and rested his head on the back of his chair. He allowed his gaze to wander to the window and the inky black sky, unpolluted by the stray lights of a bigger village. It wasn't until his eyes drifted closed that he realized how exhausted, mentally and physically, he actually was. "Only a few moments," he murmured to himself, moving his hands so that they rested in his lap and letting his head loll to the side. Within seconds of those words, Gaara of the Desert was sleeping like the dead.**

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**Morning and Temari found Gaara is a rather different position than he had been in when he'd first fallen asleep. She couldn't suppress her smile at the sight of her youngest brother bent over his desk, cheek resting on a far outdated map of the Land of Wind and the surrounding countries. His face was peaceful for once, completely relaxed and looking the part of the teenager that, despite his title, he really was. Moving silently so as not to wake him, Temari made her way behind the desk and peered over Gaara's shoulder. There was a hastily penned red circle around an unnamed country to the northwest of the Land of Wind. Temari found, that after she looked over the other documents and files scattered over the redwood desk, that the subject of each was that same unnamed country her brother had circled for reasons completely unbeknownst to her.**

**Temari frowned and leaned in closer to the documents. To be honest, although she spent limitless amounts of time reviewing maps and various books in preparation for missions, she had never heard, or read about the little country Gaara was presumably interested in. Vaguely, she wondered what on earth her brother could be up to, and why he had taken a sudden interest in the unnamed piece of land. With a dismissive internal shrug, she straightened and took a step back, debating whether or not to wake the slumbering Kazekage.**

**The decision was made for her however, when Gaara stirred and his pale eyes fluttered open. Only mildly startled, a smile quickly made its was to Temari's face; it made her happy to know that her brother was becoming accustomed to being a regular person, even if the step was sleeping for had most likely been a few hours. "Good morning, Gaara," she said warmly, making her way to the front of the desk as Gaara sat up in his chair, rubbing his eyes with one hand. Gaara was silent for a few moments before replying with a soft, "Good morning."**

**Never one to beat around the bush, Temari plucked one of the documents from the desk and looked over it quickly. "What's gotten you so interested in this place, Gaara?" She questioned casually, though she was genuinely curious; Gaara rarely did anything without reason. He was silent for a few moments, still waking up, she presumed but eventually spoke up. "I've been thinking," he began, looking toward the window, which faced west, "That we are protected on the East by the Leaf Village, in the west by the desert, the south by the smaller villages, but completely open to attack from the north." It was very true, Temari noted, but what on earth had caused him to think of such a thing? As far as she knew, the Sand Village was in no imminent danger of being attacked. But she supposed that when the two Akatsuki members had infiltrated the village, they hadn't exactly been expected. Gaara was devoted to doing whatever it took to protect the village and its people, so Temari supposed that his caution was understandable.**

"**And since the Land of Rain is already impregnable, the Land of Earth unreachable, and the Land of Birds useless to us in the defense department," Temari, who was more than smart enough to put two and two together said matter-of-factly, "You were trying to find any information about that place that you could, hoping that you might be able to find something to work with." Temari was pleased to catch a glimpse, however fleeting, of a smile flicker across Gaara's face. "I haven't been able to find out a single relevant thing though," he answered, frowning slightly, "Some vague information about geography, but nothing about residents, politics, or government."**

**The siblings were silent for a few moments, each contemplating what the other had said. Temari was the first to speak. "Maybe Baki would know something about it," she stated, thoughts drifting momentarily to her former sensei. "He's been around longer than some of these documents," Temari continued, releasing her grip on the paper she had been holding and letting it flutter back down to the desk. Not waiting for a reply from Gaara, she continued, "Yeah, that's a great idea. You can find him while you're out getting something to eat." With that, Temari turned heel and strolled out of the office, leaving the door open. Gaara recognized, easily, the decisive tone in her voice. She would most likely wait around a corner outside to make sure that he indeed went out and fed himself; the could be obstinately motherly sometimes, and he and Kankuro had long since learned that it was easier to just obey her than to get on her bad side.**

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**Since Gaara had become Kazekage, the Sand Village had been improving, politically, physically, and financially. The population had increased by nearly fifteen percent, and with it, the ranks of shinobi. In the past few months, Baki had found that days off were much more commonplace than they had been in his entire career. It was a Tuesday, high noon and feverishly hot when Gaara sought him out. Baki, having had nothing else better to do, had decided to treat himself to lamb kebobs from one of the Sand Village's excellent, but lesser known eateries. Baki was not fond of crowds, and had long since discovered that the best restaurants were less poplar, with better food and a more serene atmosphere.**

**However, it wasn't so often that the Kazekage was seen about the village and despite Baki having a closer relationship with Gaara; it was not a common occurrence to see him out and about. And so, it was almost needless to say that Baki was confused at best on the issue of why the Kazekage had sought him out personally. Despite his confusion, Baki nodded in greeting, and Gaara took the liberty of seating himself across from the lone jounin. He looked questioningly at the Kazekage for a moment, but Gaara stayed silent, placing one hand flat on the table, and the other on top of it. With a mental sigh, Baki took it upon himself to verbally question his former student. Gaara beat him to it though. "What do you know of the northwest?" Gaara asked bluntly, fixing Baki with an intense gaze.**

**He was definitely not an expert on the northwest he assumed Gaara was speaking of, but it was for certain that he had more information on the mysterious land than the Sand Village's library had. Baki returned Gaara's stare for a moment, contemplating all possible reasons why the teen would want to know about that country. He relented soon though, having come up with no answers to his internal question. "A bit," Baki answered, setting the kebab he had been holding down on the plate; he had the feeling he wouldn't have the chance to eat if for a while, "What do you want to know?"**

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**It was evening again in the Sand Village. The darkness of night had not yet taken the western sky, and the great expanse visible over the skyline of the village was the magical lavender-red color of sunset. The day's heat had not yet diminished, and so for once, the temperature was completely comfortable. Gaara was atop the office building, observing the sinking sun in complete exterior serenity. He had abandoned his Kazekage garb long before, and was soaking up the last of the sun's warmth in the black pants and shirt he wore beneath the blue and white robe. His eyes, bled colorless by the dying light that was setting the roofs of the village awash with a red glow, were fixated on the northwestern horizon.**

**Gaara was no longer quite so ignorant on the subject of northwest. He hadn't expected Baki to be quite so well-informed on the area, but he had been, fortunately, mistaken. In their conversation, Gaara had learned much about the land, Steppe Country, and some of its people. The Western region was dominated by the same range of jagged peaks that ran through the Land of Wind, and in the east, the lush greenery and broadleaf forest of the Land of Birds encroached. To the north, along the broad border Steppe Country shared with the Land of Earth, lay the final reaches of the great northern boreal forest, shot through with deep lakes and bare patches of rock. But the largest region of the country was dominated by the country's namesake, steppes. The whole of the interior was a fertile basin of dancing, golden grasses and stands of trembling aspens, untouched by the desert's grasp. The land was said to be so flat that one could see for miles on the horizon.**

**The country itself was loosely associated with the Land of Earth. They traded seasonally and once in a while, although rarely, rented out their services. The country had limited contact with the Land of Birds, but the last time anyone had bothered to check, they were at peace. There was no daimyo in the Steppe Country, as the population was fairly small, less than fifty thousand people in the entire place. Most of the population was concentrated in the northeast, near the borders of the Land of Birds and Earth, as well as the place where prairie, boreal and deciduous forest all conglomerated. The far west, and northwest were generally uninhabited, being fairly inhospitable, but there were scattered farming villages all across the central plains. The largest settlement was the Palousa Village, located in the northeast.**

**Baki had also informed him that most of the people were employed as farmers and merchants. There were no official shinobi in the country, only a small group of loosely organized military force, comprised of perhaps two hundred foot soldiers and fifty mounted. There really was no reason for the Steppe Country to even have a military force, they had no enemies and were far away from almost any violence. It was simply a precaution; the force had remained all but idle since the shinobi wars of old. **

**The mounted division was renowned in the Land of Earth, and a bit less so in the Land of Birds, but unheard of, like the country, to most of the world. Over generations, they had bred tough horses build for endurance and fearlessness in battle. The riders were all female, as it was imperative that the horses carry the least amount of weight possible for maximum stamina, and likewise, ninety five percent of the foot soldiers were male. The horses selected for field work were mares, as well. Stallions were not gelded and thus were too unpredictable and headstrong to make effective workers.**

**This flow of information had intrigued Gaara, mostly because the mystery that had been Steppe Country was now coming to light and to a lesser extent; he had never seen a horse before. After leaving Baki with his cold kebabs, Gaara had returned to the office and written up a file on Steppe Country for future reference rather than complete that day's paperwork. It was now, after the Sand Village's residents were in for the night, that Gaara would reflect on the more personal and historical details Baki had told him of.**

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**Gaara had been shocked to find out that he had been alive the last time residents of Steppe Country visited the Land of Wind. It had been eleven years before when Gaara's father had gotten the exact same idea as he had. Steppe Country had been in the middle of a long drought, and the fourth Kazekage had capitalized on it, taking that time to propose a partnership to the higher ups of Steppe Country. They had been heavily inclined to accept the agreement, which held nothing but benefits, and a company of fifteen mounted soldiers were sent across the barren desert to the Sand Village to finalize the partnership.**

**The leader of the Steppe Country's party was a woman named Yamane Hatsue, one said to have been eloquent, charming, and one of the driving forces behind the acceptance of the treaty. It was near the end of the delegates' visit when Hatsue was murdered. The Kazekage was unable to provide an explanation, and the Steppe soldiers packed up vanished back into the north and obscurity. Gaara himself had been only a few months into his sixth year at the time and despite most likely having been introduced during negotiations couldn't seem to recall any details. **

**He had been disheartened after hearing those unfortunate details. Steppe Country's leader would probably be wary, or completely unwilling to consider any sort of treaty in remembrance of the past events. Baki must have noticed the disappointment that had crossed his face, even if Gaara himself hadn't even been aware that his expression had changed, because he'd immediately followed up by telling him that Steppe Country would probably take certain circumstances into consideration. Not only was there a new Kazekage, but the Sand Village could offer more than it had in the past due to its strengthened state.**

**Baki's logical, but still somewhat wishful comments had reassured Gaara more than he had visibly let on to his previous sensei. He had consciously decided that he was going to send the proposal off to the Steppe Country as soon as he'd walked away from Baki. He would take a risk and hope for the best, something he imagined Naruto would do had the blonde Leaf Village ninja been in Gaara's position. All that had been left until that moment had been the second thoughts, the reflection, and the apprehension. The majority of those three stages were over by that time of night though, and so it would soon be time for the final step, construction of the proposal.**

**Gaara rose without a sound and after one last glance at the yellow moon turned and padded back toward the window leading to his office. A plume of sand, dull with the absence of light extended before him, sliding open the glass pane and allowing the kazekage to slip back inside the building with relative ease. Gaara was not particularly relishing the thought of writing up the letter; he spent most days signing papers and filling out reports and was far from fond of the task. With an extended sigh, Gaara slid his body into his chair and leaned over the desk, sliding a sheet of paper in front of him and picking up a pen.**

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**The falcon was drowsy with the darkness beneath its hood, its thoughts and instincts were muddled with sleep. It peered owlishly with its huge ink-colored eyes at Gaara, not protesting as the red-haired human fastened his small package to its left leg. It stepped onto the kazekage's offered hand without protest and allowed itself to be carried over to a window, which was promptly opened. Exposed to the sun's rays, the falcon livened immediately, clacking its beak and ruffling its feathers; it was a bird of the day, and there was no holding it captive. Gaara barely had time to tell the bird its directions before it lit from his hand and hurled itself into the sky. Soon enough, it was nothing more than a swiftly shrinking dot in the salmon-colored morning sky.**

**Gaara stared after the falcon until it disappeared completely; he could tell already that the next few weeks were going to crawl by.**

There! Done!

I hope it wasn't terribly boring; I just wanted to explain the plot a bit and didn't want to completely rush it. The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise!

I would be very grateful if someone were to beta read for me. You would be of so much help to me!

And anyways, I won't bore you with my chatter anymore. Have a nice day! I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, depends on what sort of summer job I get and how much partying I do XD

One question though, before you press that back button. Is the bold font too much? Should I just make it basic? I only had it like that because of a personal preference.

And also, REVIEW, please!


	2. 2 Accession

Sorry for the ridiculously long wait everyone! I've been so lazy all summer that I was literally doing a paragraph at a time. So hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait.

Also, thank you to all who reviewed, and who put me on their alert list!

_The Diving Bell and the Turtle Dove_

_Chapter Two - Accession_

**Long, tapered wings extended fully outward, the raptor, its gray-brown plumage painting it black against the rapidly darkening tangerine sky neared its destination, the tallest structure in the Sand Village and one of only a handful of which had lights still on. After skimming a red-rocked plateau briefly, it dropped from the thermal it had been riding, angled its left wing inward ever so slightly, and banked gently away from the sun. The falcon had just completed a perilous journey across the merciless desert north of the Sand Village. It was now ready to make a pit stop at the kazekage's office to deliver its cargo, and then make its way back to the mews for a well-deserved rest.**

**The burning, intensely red sun silhouetted the bird as it made its descent, allowed the naked eye to trace its path until it dropped too low to be skylined any longer. If anyone was watching though, they wouldn't have cared where it had gone to after it was out of their sight; after all, it was probably just a common letter, wasn't it?**

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**Gaara attention shifted slowly from the book he was reading, a yellow-paged relic Temari had found in an unused room of the Kazekage building. An incessant tapping was coming from his steadily darkening window. He could barely make out the source of the noise, a falcon, blurry and gray through the windowpane. Deftly, Gaara dog-eared the page he was on and set the book down on his desk before rising and making his way over to the window.**

**The messenger hopped through the window, clacking its beak in annoyance at having to wait so long. The red-haired Kazekage scarcely had time to rid the bird of its cargo before it had wheeled and lit from the windowsill, disappearing into the fading light. Gaara noted somberly that even after everything that had happened, the bird was the only being that had dared to treat him with such casual and blatant flippancy, Kazekage and previous jinchuuriki or not. It was nice to know that to something, even though it was not human, he deserved treatment no different from anyone else's.**

**As he turned the tightly coiled letter in his hands, Gaara's breath nearly caught in his throat. There, plain as day was the royal blue crest of Steppe Country, 3 vague ears of wheat enclosed in a circle. Sliding back into his seat, he unrolled the letter gently, careful not to tear the edges. As the letter unfurled, Gaara's eyes were greeted with row after row of black cursive, neat, but not needlessly fancy.**

_Kazekage Gaara_

_It is my pleasure to inform you that after careful consideration, the high council of Steppe Country has decided to accept the terms of your proposed treaty._

_We feel that the Sand Village and Steppe Country have much to offer one another. A union between these, we hope, will result in nothing but good. We are aware of the tragic incident that took place the last time such a treaty was proposed, but times, as well as authority has changed, and thus, things of the past must be put aside._

_As you know, disclosing too much information over such an insecure measure of communication. We feel as though having a group of our elite travel to the Sand Village to finalize and clarify the aspects of the treaty is of the essence._

_As we would be guests on your turf, we shall leave the decision of when our delegates should arrive in your lands._

_Sincerily, Yamahana Aoga_

**Gaara read and reread the letter for what seemed like one hundred times. The smallest of smiles came across his face as it finally sunk in that he had been successful with the treaty. It was then that Gaara decided that, with endless hospitality, he would make up to the Steppe Country delegates for what had happened during their last visit. **

**Hurriedly, Gaara pulled a sheet of paper from a pile that was always on hand and began scribbling a reply. His mind quickly processed that the perfect time for their visit was in a month and a half's time, just before the autumn festival. His reply was short, but still succeeded in thoroughly expressing gratitude. After briefly thinking that informing the council of his decision would probably be a good idea, Gaara rolled up the letter and sealed it with the Sand Village's emblem. He was the Kazekage, the council was going to have to deal with it.**

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**One month and one week, five weeks, thirty-five days. That's how long it was going to be until he saw her again. At least he hoped, **_**thought**_** he hoped he would see her again. Baki was not, by nature indecisive or flighty, he did not often second guess himself and most certainly did not dwell for this long on petty issues. But it seemed that even more than ten years later, Ito Kohaku still made him behave like a fool.**

**The jounin hadn't displayed any emotions when Gaara had informed him of what he'd done. He had, however, barely been able to take in a word that his former student had said as thoughts of that amber-eyed girl from the north immediately began darting through his head. "Have you spoken with the council yet?" He'd questioned in an attempt to rid himself of the bothersome image of that damn girl. Gaara's answer was what succeeded in pushing Kohaku from his mind. It seemed almost strange at how quickly Gaara told him the council had supported his plan; they were usually such a stodgy old bunch who needed a ridiculous amount of time to come to a decision. But really, Gaara's plan had very few holes and was very beneficial; they had no reason not to support it.**

**But sitting there, enveloped in the relative silence of dusk (in the Sand Village, the sound of wind, however faint, was always there) Baki was unable to keep from thinking of events long passed. Although it had been long ago, his memories of the Steppe Country's delegates was still fairly vivid in his mind. He was twenty-two at the time and had been a jounin for six years. The Sand Village hadn't exactly been an exciting place at that time, the missions having been routine and dull, his time in the village consisting of filling out monotonous mission reports and sentry duty. And so, the prospect of visitors from a land he had never heard of was something new and exciting, something to look forward to.**

**He hadn't been disappointed when the twelve delegates from Steppe Country arrived. They were all women clad in smoky lavender, and they were all mounted upon hoofed creatures with long legs and flowing tails, horses, creatures the likes of which Baki had never seen. His wide eyes had carefully taken in every detail of the strange group, but they had lingered longest on the last rider. She had been dressed in sage green, setting her apart from the others, but the brown horse she rode blended in with the rest. She had a long mane of shiny golden-blonde hair, almost the same color as the Kazekage's daughters and sharp eyes of precisely the same color. When she had glanced in his direction and their eyes met for a split second, Baki had found himself unable to think of anything until he was elbowed in the side by Toboe, a fellow jounin and told that staring was rude. After that, he'd promptly decided that he was going to dislike that girl, because something that distracted him so could not be good.**

**His resolve didn't last long though, for three hours to be exact. Despite his age, Baki was one of the villages higher jounin and so he was trusted with showing the Steppe Country visitors the hastily, but well-constructed building where they could house their horses. It turned out that as the youngest and most inexperienced of the riders, the golden-haired girl was charged with watering the horses and making sure that nothing was amiss. Baki had been planning on leaving quietly, but as the steppe riders all filed out and made their way to their own lodging and the girl went in the opposite direction, toward the water taciturn with a bucket, he had stayed to observe, using the shadows to conceal himself. As a man, he told himself, he couldn't stand by and watch while the girl, who although fairly tall and willowy was not physically very strong labor back and forth to the stable with buckets filled with water.**

**Baki remembered wordlessly taking the bucket from her, frustrated at how his face heated up when she offered him the tiniest of smiles. He continued the process a total of nine times, pouring a bucket of water into the trough of each horse, all of which eyes him suspiciously while she puttered about in the barn, feeding each horse a flake of hay. He'd been turning to leave when she finally spoke to him. "Thanks," she had called airily in a tone of voice Baki could not classify, "I'm Kohaku, by the way." In return he had offered his name before turning to leave without another word. But the whole time, he had been thinking about how fitting the name 'amber' was for the flaxen-haired steppe rider.**

**Baki leaned back against the rapidly cooling rock behind him as he reflected on the day he had met the steppe rider Kohaku. He wondered if she would be among the delegates who would be arriving in a rapidly shortening period of time. She'd be around twenty-eight by now, and most likely one of the riders high in the mounted hierarchy. Or maybe not; she could be dead for all he knew. Baki shook his head suddenly, earning himself a curious and vaguely nervous glance from the chuunin stationed at the sentry post with him. He dismissed the chuunin with a simple narrowing of his eyes and soon enough was deeply in thought once again. As odd as it was, being that Baki was a decisive sort, he couldn't decide if Kohaku being a member of the expected delegates excited or terrified him.**

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**Temari was absolutely frustrated at the apparent ineptitude of the group of six genin in her charge. So far, they'd managed to create the framework for the planned stable only to forget a door in which to get out, misplaced a fifty-pound order of galvanized nails, and manage five hammered fingers between the sextet. All in all, it seemed that the job would have gone much quicker had she simply done it herself. Absently, she mused that it might be the fact that she was stalking back and forth quite aggressively, oversized metal fan in hand that was making the genin nervous and borderline useless. But honestly, if they couldn't stand the sight of her doing nothing but supervising, how did they expect to become chuunin?**

**Abruptly she sat down on the pile of cut lumber that was to be used for making mangers for the steppe rider's horses and leaned back, supporting herself with her arms. She absolutely couldn't wait to go on her monthly liaison trip to Konoha and get away from all the commotion that came with Gaara wanting everything to be perfect for their guests. "This is troublesome," Temari grumbled, turning her dark teal eyes to the cloudless sky. She paled significantly after the three words she'd just uttered sank in. "God," she thought, "I sound just like Shikamaru."**

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**Three days. It was three days until they arrived. The week preceding the arrival of the Steppe delegates had been crawling by, for Gaara, at least. The stable had long since been finished, the shed had been stocked with hay and oats, racks for saddles and bridles had been built, and accommodations for the delegates had been arranged. After more than a month of preparation, it seemed there was nothing left to do but wait. Normally for Gaara, who was gifted with patience in abundance, the waiting wouldn't bother him at all. But despite this, he had been tittering around the office skittishly, neglecting to read mission reports, and baffling Temari and Kankuro with his uncharacteristic nervousness. Little did he know that both of his siblings figured that it was the fact that he was hell bent on proving to the council that he was completely competent that was causing his undue need for perfection.**

**Gaara stared sedately out at the night sky, inky black and spangled with stars as it always was. Silently, he willed the night to pass more quickly, because then it would only be two more days until they arrived. He really couldn't say he was happy with his behavior over the last few weeks. He was acting flighty, which he admitted bothered him. Gaara had never been the type to act in this manner, and the fact that he knew it was because he was trying to prove a point to the council made it worse. It was juvenile and… Well, something he imagined Naruto doing.**

**A small smile came to Gaara's face as he thought about the one he considered his first true friend. This was definitely something the yellow-haired Leaf ninja would approve of.**

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**Kankuro had been ready to verbally abuse his chuunin sentry partner who had dared wake him from his fitful slumber. However his irritation was taken by the wind when the wide-eyed chuunin, Hyoga sputtered out a breathless, "They're here." Sure enough, when Kankuro focused his gaze on the northern horizon, his eyes were greeted by the sight of a small group mounted upon long-legged creatures. "Inform everybody else," he'd barked at the chuunin before dashing from the sentry post and off toward Gaara's office, where he was sure his younger brother would be.**

**Kankuro flung the door open with much more gusto than was really needed, earning him a blankly questioning look from the redhead behind said door. "Gaara," he began, his excitement apparent, although it was for his brother, and not for himself, "I think you know what I'm going to tell you." Kankuro suppressed a laugh as the pen Gaara had been holding clattered to the table and his nearly translucent eyes widened. "Everyone's been informed already," he continued, not waiting for Gaara to speak, "Just get yourself ready."**

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**Even to strangers, it was easy to tell that Akane Nakamura was a strong person. She held herself in such a way that made her very presence command respect, looked straight ahead with such a look in her eyes that correctly suggested she was used to public speaking. Kohaku observed as her captain approached the Kazekage. Akane walked straight-backed and proud, drawn up to a height of five feet and nine inches, nearly as tall as the Kazekage himself. Her weathered face and clear grey eyes, almost devoid of any color made her look a bit older than her thirty-two years. Akane wasn't one to put physical beauty on a pedestal though, and embraced her appearance, using it as a tool to command respect.**

**From her position, fifth out of the thirteen of them, in the third row of two, Kohaku could barely make out the formal greeting being exchanged between Akane and the Kazekage. After almost seven hours in the saddle, she wanted nothing more than to dismount, but she was obligated to wait until Akane allowed it. Shifting slightly in the saddle, but retaining her perfectly straight posture, Kohaku relaxed her arms and allowed her hands to rest lightly atop her horse, Kin's dark mane. She allowed her gaze to wander, first to her line partner Kasumi who sat as straight as she did and her nearly black horse Kiri who stood with practiced calm, ears forward and neck slightly arched. Turning her head slightly, Kohaku took in the sight of the Sand shinobi and civilians gathered, making a slow, disinterested sweep. **

**Suddenly though, her eyes darted back to one face, darkly tanned and weathered, half-covered by taupe fabric. She couldn't help but linger on the increasingly familiar face, mouth slightly agape. No doubt about it, it was him.**

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**Had they been characters in a storybook, Baki figured that he and Kohaku would have rushed, with no regard for protocol to embrace each other and engage in a joyous reunion. But a storybook was what their lives were not, and so Baki settled for looking at her surreptitiously from the corner of his eye. She was doing the same.**

**Despite the fact that ten years had passed, she looked exactly the same to him. She had the same lustrous honey-blonde hair he remembered, although it was no longer down to her lower back, but shorter and tied back. Her tawny eyes were as sharp as always and although her face had matured, there was still a childish sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks. He wondered for a moment how she recognized him; he hadn't aged nearly as well as she. A mission gone awry had resulted in blindness in his left eye and the subsequent usage of a covering. His own face was lined and weathered, giving a not entirely false image of wisdom and age.**

**She had a new horse, he noticed, which seemed to be of an entirely different stock than the rest. The mare was taller and leaner than the others, with long, slim legs and a finely chiseled head, deep chest and short back. She was a pale and indeterminate color somewhere in between gold and silver, the color of twilight, with dark legs and silky, equally dark mane and tail. She had no distinguishing features, save for her vastly different physique, no white facial markings as many of the others had, no white feet. Baki guessed that the two had been partners for some time, judging by the ease of which Kohaku sat atop the mare and the way the mare, in turn, stood stock still and yet somehow was relaxed.**

**Preoccupied, Baki found himself quite unable to take in the conversation between the Gaara and the Steppe Riders' captain. Somewhat reluctantly, Baki tore his eyes away from Kohaku and forced his gaze up along the ranks of the riders and finally to Gaara and the captain. As much as he disliked the idea of it at the moment, it was his duty to listen to what was being said.**

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**The captain of the steppe riders was accustomed to stiff, formal situations like this, it seemed. She regarded him coolly, looking directly into his eyes. Her demeanor wasn't condescending, Gaara was pleased to note, only calm and collected; he hated to be looked down upon. "Welcome to the Sand Village," Gaara began, "I am the fifth Kazekage, Gaara." She nodded, dropping her chin slightly, "I am Akane Nakamura, captain of the steppe riders. On behalf of the Steppe Country, I thank you for your hospitality."**

**Although he literally knew next to nothing about the woman, who was nearly equal in height to him, Gaara found that he immediately respected her. It wasn't just her commanding physical presence that did it, but the fact that she did not look upon him as an inexperienced teenager, but as the Kazekage. It was in that moment that he decided he liked her. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that the steppe rider's stay was the best that it could be.**

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**Having been a registered member of the Steppe Country's mounted corps for less than a year, this was, without a doubt, Shiori's longest journey on horseback. She was stiffer than she ever thought possible, her back hurt, her thighs ached and she'd somehow managed to accumulate an abundance of sand in her boots, despite that she had been several feet off the ground for hours. She shifted uncomfortably, casting her fellow riders envious looks. All eleven of them were seasoned riders and definitely not feeling the effects of the journey as much as she. Shiori, normally curious, found herself unable to even take in the sights of the Sand Village as they stood.**

**Shiori sighed heavily in relief at the sight of her aunt and captain raise her right hand, the sign for the rest of them to be at ease and dismount. Her action, however slight, earned her a disapproving glance from her ever-serious riding partner Asuka. She really couldn't help it though, accustomed to riding as she was, Shiori was relieved to finally set her feet back on solid ground. In a practiced motion, she followed the suit of the other eleven riders and swung her right leg over her horse; Sakka's back and let herself to the ground lightly.**

**The sand beneath her feet felt like absolute heaven. For a brief moment, Shiori allowed her hand to linger on Sakka's sleek red-brown shoulder, leaning her weight on the mare. However her brief moment of rest didn't last long as Akane seemed to have made her way back to Youkou's side and was now leading them off to, Shiori guessed, wherever the horses were being stabled. After that though, she decided that food would be absolutely glorious. Reenergized, she would be able to take in the sights of this strange and foreign land.**

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I'm not sure if that was a good place to end it, but I figured I should get something posted at least before school starts.

Okay, so, the three OC's whose point of views I wrote from are going to be the only significant ones for now, and as of yet, the only steppe riders I'm planning on having significant for the time being.

Interaction rather than personal narratives will take place in the next chapter, so things will be getting more interesting (I hope) from here on in.

I thought it would be interesting to have the horse and riders have names that mean almost the same thing. Here is a little guide, in case you're interested.

Kohaku – amber

Kin – gold

Akane – red

Youkou – crimson

Shiori – weave a poem

Sakka – poem

Also, if you review, which would be much appreciated, could you tell me what you think about my switching the point of view so often? I wasn't sure if the story would be better if I switched p.o.v.'s less… Any feedback is good. If there is anything you think I could have done better, don't hesitate to tell me!

Also, I'm still looking for a beta reader.

That's all for now, I suppose. Reviews keep me motivated! I'll try to update quicker this time, but with me, there's no guarantees. I will try my darndest though!


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